A LAID-BACK, GREAT VALUE BRUNCH IN GENEVA

CHILL BY THE LAKE WITH THIS GREAT VALUE BRUNCH IN GENEVA

by Alexandra Osváth

Sundays in Geneva are for lounging by the lake and, of course, a laid-back brunch. Perched on Place de l’Ile in the middle of the Rhône, summer pop-up terrace Le 9 delivers a great value, relaxed late brunch – with a lovely community feel.

Le 9 encourages local artists to set up stands on the terrace, from watercolours to vintage clothing from Japan, jams and spices, and the restaurant even holds special events with tattoo artists. We loved the chill, laid-back vibe where we could actually use tu instead of vous with everyone.

The pop-up opened last summer, and is back this year until early September. The weekly lunch and Sunday brunch menus focus on a small selection of popular dishes featuring organic, local produce. During the week they serve delicious poké bowls, an “Asian vibes” salad, a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich, avocado toast, and local tapas. Take a look at our Le 9 lunch review

The chef, Mélissa, is also the head chef at Lola’s Food Garage (one of our favourites, incidentally – check out our review of Lola’s Food Garage) and her friend and business partner Fanny is the manager of Ou Bien Encore, a top brunch spot on trendy rue des Bains (Plainpalais). Mélissa’s friendly dog kept us company, dozing off in the shade.

SUNDAY BRUNCH WITH A COMMUNITY VIBE

We loved our Sunday brunch experience, where we could truly relax and take in the positive-vibes-only atmosphere. Geneva meets the tropics – in the city centre. The modern, chill décor and friendly owners, made us feel totally at home. We chose a high table right by the river, but there were also comfy deck chairs and low tables for couples and larger groups.

The copious brunch costs 35 CHF and is served from 11 am until 8 pm, with a DJ starting from around 3 pm. We didn’t try any cocktails but they looked like the perfect afternoon treat!

After we ordered, I poked around the artisan market, chatting with the local artists and learning about their work. All of the artists share Le 9’s ethical values and contribute to a great community feel.

LIGHT, FRESH AND HEALTHY

We started with a latté and hibiscus tea, followed by freshly squeezed juices. I had the punchy “Carrot Kick” (carrot, apple, ginger, and lemon) and my husband had the “Refreshing”, which lived up to its name (watermelon, apple, strawberry, mint).

The croissant and pain au chocolat were crispy and light, and served on pretty bamboo boards. For the main course, I had avocado toast topped with pomegranate seeds, sprouts and sesame seeds. My husband had scrambled eggs and thick bacon on toast. Both were served in bamboo bowls and came with large side salads – fresh greens with yellow and red cherry tomatoes, radishes, chopped carrots, red onion and sprinkled with a balsamic vinaigrette. Delicious!

Dessert was healthy and tasty too – fresh yogurt topped with lightly toasted granola, redcurrant and honey.

OUR VERDICT

We loved our few hours relaxing by the Rhône with a truly delicious, healthy brunch – it was really hard to leave. It would be easy enough to start with coffee and move on to cocktails, something we’d like to try next time!

Even though the menu wasn’t very large, the dishes were fresh and delicious – quality over quantity, and at a very good price for Geneva. Great value!

As foreigners here, we appreciated the community spirit Le 9 has single-handedly created, inviting everyone into their outdoor living room and supporting local artists at the same time. Le 9 staff and the artisan vendors were very friendly and up for a chat, which created a comforting community vibe that isn’t so common around the city.

We’ll be back for sure.